The prevalence of diabetes has been rising in rich countries for several decades, largely driven by increases in the rate of obesity. More recently, poorer countries have begun to follow the trend.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Chronic disease like diabetes will become the largest health care issues in the world. There is no doubt many of these such as adult onset diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer are tied to obesity and poor lifestyle choices.

Findings from a firstofitskind study in JAMA Internal Medicine indicate that despite recommendations from professional organizations to limit certain routine tests before elective surgery, rates of several preoperative tests have not changed over a 14year period.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Inappropriate test utilization in all areas of medicine contributes to out of control health care costs. The authors suggest emphasis on this in training, which is a great concept, but not widely included in physician training. In a recent study, Cleveland Clinic, saved over $2 million dollars a year in cost focusing on over utilization of a few common tests.

Although physical activity is important for health, a healthy diet is essential for weight loss and regular exercise may not make up for a poor diet.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Metabolic syndrome is the insidious abnormality that leads to adult onset diabetes. It is time we become aware of the cause, high carbohydrate diets, often high in refined sugar. In other words, the standard American diet (SAD).

This past winter I taught a course titled 'Physical Activity and Aging.' It was a fun course, and really drove home an issue that I've known for a while, but hadn't previously given a lot of thought: the impact of aging is identical to the detraining that happens in response to reduced physical activity ...

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Tomorrow's post tonight!. Aging is inevitable, its how you want to do it that is up to you. Think of frailty (bad) or activity(good). In medicine we can plot a curve of function vs age and see a slow decline, until death. What we would like to see is a flat line or plateau into old age with a sudden brief decline at death. This attainable and keeping active is a major component. Remember losing muscle as we age results in frailty. As this article points out it can be a vicious cycle, so start now, no matter your age, and be more active.

In a large study higher animal protein intake was associated with better performance in older men. This may in some way ultimately be related to sarcopenia, which is wasting of muscle as we age. This leads to functional decline and the typical frail old person, which can have serious medical consequences. Resistance exercise (weight bearing), even beginning at older ages, is also effective in preventing loss of muscle and functional decline.

Mice allowed to exercise after being given green tea extract showed 'remarkable' improvement in cognitive function and memory retention, the University of Missouri study found.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Green tea is one of my top 5! It contains lots of potent and healthy anti-oxidants that have impact on weight, blood pressure and memory. A new study from the of Missouri shows that exercise combined with green tea is even more beneficial.

This is an important point and applies to many drugs that are commonly prescribed. This is called pharmacogenomics and is due to genetic variants in enzymes that metabolize drugs. This is a growing area in personalized medicine and is actually very common. Some drugs that are commonly affected are anti-depressants, warfarin, plavix and some chemotherapy drugs. Up to 1/3 of patients on plavix, may be sub responders or resistant and not be getting the effect they think. The reverse is true also and some are hyper-metabolizers that may alter drug dosing. If your taking some of these common drugs, discuss this issue with your doctor and see if testing is right for you.

Increased intake of curcumin could boost levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the brain by enhancing its conversion from other omega-3 precursors in the liver, say researchers.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Curcumin is a component of turmeric, a spice commonly used in curry and Indian food. It is a potent anti-inflammatory, has anti-tummor activity and now may play a role in DHA metabolism. See the link at the bottom for the original article for all the details.

Curcumin is one my top five supplements!. Stick around to see what the others are!

Higher vitamin D levels at middle age may pre-determine better cognitive outcomes later in life, according to a 13-year follow-up study.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

There are roughly 63,000 published articles on PubMed and yet we continue to debate the significance of vitamin D. Most of these show a positive benefit to having healthy vitamin D levels. It is well known about 60% of the US population is suboptimal or frankly deficient. Yet it is easy and inexpensive to fix. So (safely) get some sunshine today!

Consuming fermented kimchi, a source of lactobacilli, may alter the composition of bacterial populations in the gut and affect metabolic pathways for obese women, says a new study from Korea.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Fermented foods are a great source of good bacteria that can affect metabolism and weight. A natural probiotic if you will. Other foods like naturally fermented sauerkraut and pickles are good sources of similar bacteria.

Excessive eating may be due to a bad nights sleep, a study published in the Journal of Health Psychology proposed.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Getting a goods night sleep is important in many ways and has an impact in obesity and weight gain. Numerous studies support this over the last few years. Dealing with stress and sleepless nights can ultimately lead to chronic disease.

For older adults, hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with worse cognitive status, even after accounting for B group vitamin BGV status.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Homocysteine is involved in the methylation pathway and has many functions. Many physicians do not check blood levels. However elevated levels are implicated in cardiovascular disease as well. It is easily treated with B-vitamins and folate to reduce to a healthy level. This is not new, prior studies have found similar results. For more on homocysteine see my full article http://sco.lt/5DTAsj

A native of Ontario, Canada, Leanne Venier is an abstract painter who paints inspired by her ongoing quest to understand the human psyche in its complicated nature and mysteries. Her paintings are a...

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Leanne's artwork is more than inspiring, it is healing. Leanne is an expert in the use art and color in healing. Her paintings have the components that have been shown in scientific studies to benefit health and healing. In fact many major hospitals, such as Cleveland Clinic, have invested significantly in providing artwork that benefit their patients and families.

Getting exercise is on everyone's list and is sometimes especially difficult if you have a desk job. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine this morning advises to regularly alternate sitting and standing, and strongly suggests adjustable work stations that allow this. While it may be difficult to get your employer to pay for this( seems only the boss gets the adjustable work desk), you can get up and move, stand or walk every hour to get some activity. Try to incorporate some movement into your day. The benefits to your health and productivity may be immeasurable.

Consuming more omega3 fatty acids may benefit patients at risk for Alzheimers disease

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

We continue to debate the health effects of omega-3 acids. However clearly there is benefit in many areas of cardiovascular and brain health. It is a simple task to pour the omega-6 vegetable oils down the drain and eat more oily fish such as salmon that can have significant benefits on your health with little effort.

Hawaii had the lowest obesity rate in the U.S. in 2014, at 19.0%. For the second year in a row, Mississippi had the highest obesity rate, with 35.2% of residents classified as obese according to residents' self-reported height and weight.

Richard D. Hammer, M.D.'s insight:

Breaking news-we continue to gain weight! Sad but true, the obesity rate continues to climb and is highest in the Midwest, something any tourist will immediately notice. So where are you in the ranking?

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